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The PC Party is continuing to join others in calling on the Ball government to ban single-use plastic bags.

Thursday, January 10, 2019

St. John’s, NL (January 10, 2019) – The PC Party is continuing to join others in calling on the Ball government to ban single-use plastic bags.

The Atlantic Canada director of the Retail Council of Canada made the call this week. Community organizations and municipal stakeholders in this province, such as Municipalities Newfoundland and Labrador, have been calling for a province-wide ban for some time.

On June 21, 2018, PC Leader Ches Crosbie joined others in calling for a province-wide ban, and urged the Ball government to bring forward legislation in the fall 2018 sitting. They did not.

Opposition Environment Critic Barry Petten said, “The Liberals claim to support a ban, but it’s just another case of saying one thing and doing another. Plastic waste impacts the tourism industry, the fishing industry and human health. There are sound economic and environmental reasons for moving forward with the advice from retail and municipal leaders. With inexpensive alternatives to single-use plastic bags readily available, the time to act is now.”

Opposition Wildlife Critic Jim Lester presented a petition to the House of Assembly on October 25 reiterating the call for the ban. “Our environment is being contaminated, wildlife are being physically hampered by it, and we’ll see these damages years down the road as well. I challenge anybody who does not support the ban to go to the city dump. Why do we have to be on the hind quarter? Australia has done it, other places throughout Canada have done it, and now the EU has also done it,” he said.